半個世紀以來，台灣的東南亞華人研究已累積可觀的能量及成果。但對於我國學者如何認知，進而從事相關研究，甚或是學界透過哪些「方法」再現東南亞華人（社會／社區）的形象，至今仍缺乏系統性的探究，而有待進一步的挖掘、呈現。事實上，地理位置及華人文化的「鄰近性」，一直是台灣學術社群的主要優勢，然而意識形態及資料來源僵化，卻也造成若干限制。本文簡要梳理學史脈絡，指出強化方法及理論創新是未來東南亞華人研究可行的突破方向之一。

For more than half a century, the research in Taiwan on Southeast Asian Chinese has been fruitful in volume and in achievement. However, there has been no systematic exploration of how scholars perceive and proceed to the study of this topic, or the “methods” for the representation of the image of the Chinese (societies or communities) of Southeast Asia in the fields of humanities and social science. Further inquiry is necessary. In fact, the academic and research communities of Taiwan have had an advantage in the study of this topic for a long time, given our geographic location and the “proximity” to Chinese culture. Yet, ideology and the sources of materials for study have remained rigid and hence posed certain constraints in the field. This paper is an attempt to tidy up the academic context, and proposes that reinforced methods and methodological innovations will be a feasible breakthrough for the studies of the Chinese in Southeast Asia.